I received an email earlier today from a reader who had excitedly received their unabridged audio book of infinite jest only to discover that in. Please keep these annotations spoilerfree by not revealing information from later pages in the novel. The way the footnotes were handled in infinite jest was that they werent. David foster wallace facts softschools david foster wallace was an american writer best known for. Infinite summer formed in the summer of 2009 to read david foster wallaces masterwork infinite jest. Weve gotten to page 7, so please only post about whats happened up until 7, or mark your post with spoilers.
David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook, minus endnotes audio by andres jauregui on march 27, hachette audio released david foster wallaces magnum opus infinite jest most of it, at least as a 56hourlong audiobook. The good news is that it is not a thousandpage paragraph or even a thousandpage story. It was also certainly cited and quoted a hell of a lot, announcing, as it seemed to, a conquering literary colossus. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Jan 23, 2014 im currently listening to the audiobook of infinite jest, which is brilliantly narrated, from audible. Its name is taken from the david foster wallace novel entitled infinite jest, the title of which is in turn taken from a line in william shakespeares hamlet it was the bands second ep and the only one to be released under the new armada record label. Some of them are fun, and some of them are despicable.
Not even the masters of the highlow rhetorical register go higher more panoramically or lower more exuberantly. Definitely worth a try for anyone attempting a second read. Its due to a minor character, old mikey, standing at the boston aa podium. Fractals applied to the narrative david foster wallace.
Its 56 hours long, but its so well performed that it never drags at any moment in the book. Whether its drugs, sex, or fame, the novels primary goal is to examine the need for these addictions and show that it is possible to addicted to addiction itself. When you buy the audio edition of ij, you get the novel sans footnotes. Infinite jest has a reputation for being one of those books that everyone starts and no one finishes. David foster wallace audio books, best sellers, author bio. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition. David foster wallace interview on infinite jest with leonard lopate 031996. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and. The beloved 1100page novel is david foster wallaces magnum opus and one of the most influential books of its time, but did you know he. As the novel unfolds, various individuals, organizations, and governments vie to obtain the master copy of infinite jest for their own ends, and the denizens of the tennis school and the halfway house are caught up in increasingly desperate efforts to control the movie as is a cast including burglars, transvestite muggers, scam artists. Jun 02, 2009 infinite jest has been on my reading pile for ages but, despite adoring my recent birthday present of foster wallaces short stories, oblivion, i just havent had the strength of mind to start it. First edition of wallaces epic postmodern satirejubilantly anecdotal, winkingly sardonic new york. The answer depends on whether you define the end as the last chronological event of the story, chronological events near the end of the text, or whats happening on the actual last page of text not.
The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes there are a total of 388 endnotes, some with footnotes of their own. Mario incandenza ranks among one of my favorite characters in literature. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. Ive often said theres no way to describe or synopsize infinite jest. Shakespeares book of insults, insights and infinite jests by shakespeare, william and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Written by david foster wallace, audiobook narrated by sean pratt. As the novel unfolds, various individuals, organizations, and governments vie to obtain the master copy of infinite jest for their own ends, and the denizens of the tennis school and the halfway house are.
It was mine, i tried to take everything under a microscope and reorganize it which was not. My first attempt was a list of advice on reading the novelthe submission of which prompted infsums dungeon master, matthew baldwin, to write back with a frowny face and a. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest. The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. If you chew tobacco, you get real interested in tooth brushing. Infinite jest, which came out almost a decade after broom, was a vast investigation into america as the land of addictions.
Infinite jest is filled with tons of ideas and tons of characters. Having only read the first extremely exhausting chapter, i cant tell you whether i would feel this. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in. David foster wallace wrote the acclaimed novels infinite jest and the broom of the system and the story collections oblivion, brief interviews with hideous men. Infinite jest 20th anniversary edition special edition. At the macro level, infinite jest consists of numerous anticonfluential wallaces word episodes set a dozen years or so in the future as was the broom, at a time when numerical. Not even the masters of the highlow rhetorical register go higher more panoramically or lower more exuberantly than. First edition of wallaces epic postmodern satirejubilantly anecdotal, winkingly sardonic new york timesin scarce firstissue dust jacket, boldly signed on the title page by the author, who has crossed through his. How is the experience of reading infinite jest on a kindle. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 37. And please pay attention to formatting and grammar.
It was mine, i tried to take everything under a microscope and reorganize it which was not just fruitless, but mindfucking. There are 28 unnumbered chapter breaks signified by a little circle, similar to 28 days in a lunar continue reading matt bucher. Thick octavo, original blue paper boards, original dust jacket. Infinite jest is a genuinely groundbreaking novel of language. Infinite jest, a friend of wallaces commented to me when i was researching every love story is a ghost story, the biography of wallace that i wrote, reads like a valentine to a. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. I remember harish venkatesan lugging around the paperback copy in college and hearing that this effort was part of the experience. If youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating.
Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. Later, the audiobook publishing company hired the narrator back to just read the footnotes, which you need to buy as a separate title. These are the endnotes to david foster wallaces infinite jest, a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. Did want to flag that abebooks is owned by amazon, so i try not to support them either but no issue if you need to buy from them, i get cost is a factor. The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes there are a total of 388. Infinite jest has become an exemplar for difficulty in contemporary fictionits 1,079 pages full of verbal invention, oblique narration, and a scattered, nonlinear, chronology.
It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do. Jan 17, 2016 if youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating. A few weeks ago, i wrote the foreword for infinite summer, a summerlong collective read of infinite jest, david foster wallaces bigass novel and one of my favorite books. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages. David foster wallace what to read after infinite jest. The narrative is not supposed to be reduced into a singular, linear narrative which may be the instinct of the reader. Its not really that good of an audio book to listen to and the narration was too slow for me so i ended up reading the whole thing on my own after maybe a hundred pages in. At the macro level, infinite jest consists of numerous anticonfluential wallaces word episodes set a dozen years or so in the future as was the broom, at a time when numerical designations for years have been sold to corporate sponsors. Im currently listening to the audiobook of infinite jest, which is brilliantly narrated, from audible. Written by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt.
A readers guide was the first book to be published on the novel and is a key reference for those who wish to explore further. Its due to a minor character, old mikey, standing at the boston aa podium and speaking to a crowd. Also, the audio book doesnt include the endnotes and its just not ij without the notes. Infinite jest david foster wallace somewhere in the notsodistant future, the screwedup residents of ennet house, a boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the enfield.
In infinite jest conjunctions often appear in chains of length three or greater. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. Readers will spend a lot of time with the characters here, and almost all of them are interesting. The first chapter of infinite jest is one of the best examples ive read in recent years.
Its name is taken from the david foster wallace novel entitled infinite jest. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to. Infinite jest audiobook david foster wallace audible. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook. Apr, 2009 a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction, infinite jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives. At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet house. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. There was a lot more dental trivia in the first draft of the book. The footnotes were not incorporated into the main text at all. Part of what makes this publication hard are generous undefined phrases deliberately. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction, infinite jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Infinite jest is an ep by american indie rock band we are the fury. The answer depends on whether you define the end as the last chronological event of the story, chronological events near the end of the text, or whats happening on the actual last page of text not counting footnotes.
Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else. The shear size of the book commanded attention the kind of attention t. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Whether you are a word gourmet or gourmand, infinite. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction. Download infinite jest ebook pdf free infinitejestkus blog. I did find it a bit of a slog for the first 100 pages, but once i learned to trust that the author would fill in the blanks for me over time, everything became awesome. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. Infinite jest by david foster wallace overdrive rakuten. If anything, the narration almost offers its own cipher, which allows us to let it all chaotically unfold. Rather, each reading is a meal the whole tome is practically a steady diet. It was released in 2006 as a reissue of their 2005 ep the fury. This deluxe paperback editionfeaturing flaps, new cover art, and a new foreword by tom bissellcelebrates the 20th anniversary of the original publication of infinite jest.
An old reserve of books, ebooks, audiobooks, ordering online, etc. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. Have you ever read the book infinite jest by david foster wallace. Its fantastic, but the thing is that its over pages and super hard to read. A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything the new york times somewhere in the notsodistant future the residents of ennet house, a boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby enfield tennis academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of infinite jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and. Feel free to come back to this discussion to past at any later time.
David foster wallace facts softschools david foster wallace was an american writer best known for his novel infinite jest, published in 1996, read or download the moon is a harsh mistress ebook online free pdf and named one of the top. Infinite jest is the name of a movie said to be so entertaining that anyone who watches it loses all desire to do anything but watch it. Infinite jest is a american pale wheat ale style beer brewed by notch brewing in salem, ma. Infinite jest has been on my reading pile for ages but, despite adoring my recent birthday present of foster wallaces short stories, oblivion, i just havent had the strength of mind to start it. I did find it a bit of a slog for the first 100 pages, but. Infinite summer view topic randy lenz and the steelsaks. Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction, infinite jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our. The novel infinite jest is the story of this addictive entertainment, and in particular how it affects a boston halfway house for recovering addicts and a. Infinite jest has been listed as one of the top 100 all time greatest novels of 19232006. People who finish the book say it is one of the greatest.
1040 1428 42 1481 333 518 1350 1156 1367 1595 1558 858 175 1463 1194 913 1221 1165 797 1458 811 73 1547 1206 916 428 436 644 609 807 313 907 751 690 650 632 1463